In the limelight: Charleroi's immigrant liaison says national attention has stressed borough's Haitian population
Source: Observer-Reporter (Washington, PA)
Sep 17, 2024
Getro Bernabe said the Haitian population in Charleroi has been feeling undue stress since former President Donald Trump referenced the group in a recent campaign speech. The borough’s immigrant liaison since April 2023, “They put Haitian immigrants in the spotlight,” Bernabe said Monday. “They are not the only immigrants in the country, but the focus is on the Haitian immigrants right now. That makes them feel stressed out, frustrated. That’s a lot of tension.”
Charleroi’s Haitian population gained national attention after a mention Thursday by Trump in a campaign speech Thursday in Tucson, Ariz. “Charleroi, what a beautiful name, but it’s not so beautiful now, it has experienced a 2,000% increase in population of Haitian migrants under Kamala Harris,” Trump said. “This is a small town and all of a sudden they’ve got thousands of people. The schools are scrambling to hire translators for the influx of students who don’t speak a word of English, costing local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
A survey conducted by Bernabe in April 2023 showed Charleroi has about 2,000 immigrants from 44 countries, including China, Spain, Indonesia and African countries, along with Haiti. Bernabe was born in Haiti, but has lived In Charleroi since 2020. As the immigrant liaison, his duties include helping immigrants with documentation, directing and aiding them in navigating everyday life, answering questions and problem solving, and serving as a point of contact and interpreter. He said the borough’s Haitian population rejects how they are being portrayed.
“It’s a little stressful right now,” Bernabe said. “Some feel it’s just politics. For me, it’s not fair to think about Haitians like that. It’s unfortunate. They are saying some stuff that is not really true. They need to get proof before they say what they have to say about any person.”
Read more: https://www.observer-reporter.com/news/local-news/2024/sep/17/in-the-limelight-charlerois-immigrant-liaison-says-national-attention-has-stressed-boroughs-haitian-population/